Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Euro area
Euro area: Terrestrial and marine protected areas was 20.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Euro area, 2013–2025
Source: Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM), UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring. Measured in % of total territorial area.
Analysis
Euro area recorded 20.6% for terrestrial and marine protected areas in 2025. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
The figure is up 4.2% on the previous year and up 43.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrestrial and marine protected areas in Euro area peaked at 20.6% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 13.5%, in 2014.
Euro area ranks 10th of 47 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Euro area, year by year
| Year | % of total territorial area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 13.5% | — |
| 2014 | 13.5% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 14.4% | +6.1% |
| 2016 | 15.4% | +7.1% |
| 2017 | 17.3% | +12.5% |
| 2018 | 18.2% | +5.4% |
| 2019 | 19.1% | +4.5% |
| 2020 | 19.4% | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 19.5% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 19.5% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 19.5% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 19.8% | +1.2% |
| 2025 | 20.6% | +4.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 15.9% | 13.5% | 19.1% | 7 |
| 2020s | 19.7% | 19.4% | 20.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Euro area
- 7 Liechtenstein 44.8% compare
- 8 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 42.1% compare
- 9 Hong Kong, China 42.0% compare
- 10 Zambia 41.3% compare
- 11 Slovenia 40.1% compare
- 12 Germany 40.0% compare
- 13 Luxembourg 39.1% compare
More climate change data for Euro area
- Population growth 0.3% (2025)
- Population, total 358.66 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.5% (2025)
- Urban population 277.88 million (2025)
- Urban population 77.5% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 19.8% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 159.05 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 14.9% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 27.5% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 16.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrestrial and marine protected areas in Euro area?
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Euro area was 20.6% in 2025, according to Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM), UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring.
- What is the highest terrestrial and marine protected areas recorded in Euro area?
- The highest recorded value was 20.6% in 2025.
- What is the lowest terrestrial and marine protected areas recorded in Euro area?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.5% in 2014.
- How does Euro area rank for terrestrial and marine protected areas?
- Euro area ranks 10th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is terrestrial and marine protected areas rising or falling in Euro area?
- Over the last ten years it is up 43.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Euro area data come from?
- The figures come from Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM), UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring, published as part of Terrestrial and marine protected areas (% of total territorial area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Terrestrial protected areas are totally or partially protected areas of at least 1,000 hectares that are designated by national authorities as scientific reserves with limited public access, national parks, natural monuments, nature reserves or wildlife sanctuaries, protected landscapes, and areas managed mainly for sustainable use. Marine protected areas are areas of intertidal or subtidal terrain--and overlying water and associated flora and fauna and historical and cultural features--that have been reserved by law or other effective means to protect part or all of the enclosed environment. Sites protected under local or provincial law are excluded.